The word Patrick Ewing repeatedly said about Georgetown’s 73-69 loss to Butler was disappointing. In front of a jam-packed Capital One Arena, the Hoyas came out flat and trailed Butler most of the afternoon. And despite a valiant defensive effort down the stretch, Georgetown’s sloppy late-game offensive execution cost them the opportunity to complete their 10-point second half comeback.
Now, with NCAA Tournament hopes rapidly fading, the Hoyas travel to the Prudential Center to take on the 5-6 Seton Hall Pirates in a pivotal Big East Conference clash. The winner will remain tied for third place with the winner of St. John’s – Butler, while the loser would tumble down the standings.
Needless to say, this is a big game. So, how can the Hoyas go into New Jersey and escape with a bounce-back victory? Well the game-plan to shut down the Pirates’ offense is simple in theory, but incredibly difficult in execution: slow down Myles Powell.
The 6-foot-2 junior has been a scoring machine in Big East play this season, averaging 21.7 points per game (2nd best in the Conference) on 45.1% shooting from the field. Powell is an explosive athlete who’s at his best when attacking the basket off the dribble. Powell has a devastatingly quick first step and his body control and strength (he measures in at close to 200lbs) allow him to fight off larger defenders in the paint. In the clip below, Providence’s Alpha Diallo (6-foot-7, 214lbs) does everything he can to keep Powell in front of him. Instead, Powell utilizes his shoulder to drive through Diallo and his concentration to finish through the help defense.
However, outside of Powell, Seton Hall lacks a secondary consistent scoring option. The only other player to average double-digit scoring this season is junior Quincy McKnight at 10.3 points per game. Building off that, Powell only dishes out 2.6 assists per game, further displaying his tendency to rely on isolation in the half-court. For a team that relies on iso-ball, their chances of winning heavily rely on the shooting efficiency of their top player. And, unsurprisingly, this happens to be the case with Seton Hall. In their 5 Big East wins, Powell is shooting over 45% from the field (46.9% to be exact). But in their 6 Big East losses, Powell has been held to merely 34.6% (without eclipsing 45% in a single game).
So, as I stated above, the plan is simple: if you can hold Myles Powell below 45% shooting from the field, odds are you will win the game. Look for Ewing to throw numerous bodies at Powell throughout the game to disrupt his rhythm. James Akinjo will get the first crack as his on-ball defense has tremendously improved as Big East play has progressed. Jagan Mosely will draw Powell off the bench and Ewing could even put Jamorko Pickett on him and hope his length disrupts Powell.
On the offensive end, Ewing needs to devise a way to get reeling star Jessie Govan back on track. Govan has noticeably struggled when facing physical big men in the post. That trend could continue against the Pirates as Coach Kevin Willard will match Sandro Mamukelashvili with Govan. “Mamu” is a 6-foot-10, 230lbs forward who specializes in rebounding and controlling the paint. The key for Govan is to establish post position deeper in the lane. Of late, physical big men have done a nice job of preventing Jessie from consistently establishing deep position in the paint. Mamukelashvili’s physicality may be too much for Govan to overcome his recent struggles.
However, Jamorko Pickett’s long-awaited offensive explosion finally occurred against Butler. Pickett was easily the best player on the floor for the Hoyas in that contest, scoring 18 points on 7-11 shooting while adding 5 rebounds. Pickett has found his groove from behind the arc and has been using that to his advantage by attacking the basket when defenders crowd him on the perimeter. Notice how Pickett uses the screen from Govan to attack the open space and get to his spot in the clip below.
It is fair to wonder whether this young Hoya team is actually better on the road than at home as well. The Hoyas are 3-2 on the road in Big East play and seem to play with a higher level of intensity right out of the gate than they do at home, where they’re only 2-4 in Big East play. In the post-game presser after the Butler loss, Mac spoke about how the Hoyas need to maintain a high level of intensity in practice to help it transition into games.
At this point in the season, the Hoyas cannot afford a loss to any team not named Marquette and Villanova. A loss to Seton Hall would all but eliminate any chance of Georgetown securing an at-large bid to the big dance. But this young group is resilient and mentally tough. Look for a strong defensive effort from Georgetown and another big day from Pickett to squeak them by Seton Hall.
Prediction: Georgetown 72, Seton Hall 70
